


Burning Bright

by cosine002



Category: Super Sentai Series, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Relationships to be added - Freeform, other characters to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosine002/pseuds/cosine002
Summary: Born in a world where being ordinary is uncommon, Juru Atsuta grew up admiring heroes from afar. His world suddenly changes when he crosses paths with the number one hero in Japan, Orikami III, beginning his path to becoming a hero in his own right.
Kudos: 2





	1. Smoldering Embers

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this while trapped in my dorm room, back when quarantine first hit, because I felt that the world needed heroes. However, I refrained from posting because I didn't want to begin a story by pulling random ideas out of my head so I could slap a sloppy rough draft out in the open for everyone to read. This story will follow the major story beats of My Hero Academia, but will also include a few new ideas of my own.

_Heroes. All my childhood, I’ve longed to be a hero. But unfortunately, not all men are created equally. Especially in a society such as ours._

**—Ki! Ra! Mai! —**

“Stop! Can’t you see you’re hurting him?!”

“Move aside, Jewel Atsuta!” a loud, booming voice commanded. “You’re in the way!”

The force of the voice’s volume blasted the young boy backwards, causing him to roll onto his back. The advancing boy growled in frustration. “See this?! You’re weak! You have no quirk! You need to be strong! Like me!”

“Yeah!” two other boys jeered. One sported some freaky looking fingers, another sporting a pair of bat-like wings.

“It’s the duty of the strong to protect the weak! And in turn, the weak should depend on the strong!”

“Keichiiro Asaka!” the voice of an angry woman yelled, causing the boy in question to jump. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“But Hoshikawa-Sensei! These boys are-”

“I don’t care!” Remi Hoshikawa yelled. “You’re in big trouble! Go sit inside!”

The two boys that were with him tried to sneak away, but the teacher zoned her glare at them as well. “You two, you’re no less innocent! Get over here!”

As the three boys went inside, Remi hurried over to the two boys. “Juru, Akira, are you two alright?”

**—Kiramai Calling! —**

_I was always ridiculed for being different. Normally, being different is a good thing, especially in a society such as ours. However, I was the outlier in being different. Being normal… was anything but._

**—Ki! Ra! Mai! —**

“Juru... heads up!”

“Huh-” the small boy barely registered what was happening before he had a bucket of water dumped on his head. The offenders then began to laugh their faces off.

“HAHAHAHAHA! That’s whatcha get, Quirkless dweeb!”

Juru said nothing as he shook out his wet hair. Same old, same old. Nothing like the twentieth prank of the day. For... for being... Quirkless.

**—Kiramai Calling! —**

_That’s the unfortunate truth about life. No matter what, there will always be those who are stronger than others. Men are not made equal. And this fact was my handicap for life._

_At least, until I started to grow up._

**—Kiramage! —**

“... the first Quirk emerged somewhere in China, in the province of Hubei, when a newborn baby began to glow shortly after being born,” Juru recited, occasionally looking at his notes. “This phenomenon of unnatural powers soon began to spread across the world, changing what was once extraordinary into the norm, and many dreams became reality.”

He tapped on the screen, triggering the next slide. “Around 80% of the worldwide population in modern life has conceived these unique abilities, or ‘Quirks,’ creating a society of super-humans. Essentially, heroes!”

He glanced nervously at the class. Some of the students were attentively scribbling notes into their books, while others were wandering off. Of them, Keichiiro Asaka glared as hard as he could in the presenter’s direction. It took Juru all he could muster to not flinch.

“Thank you, Atsuta-kun!” the teacher exclaimed. “What a wonderful presentation! And with such passion, too! Why can’t the rest of you all be as this passionate about studying?”

“Who cares?” Keichiiro’s response was instant. “It doesn’t change the fact that Jewel Atsuta is weak. As are all of the rest of you!”

“As expected of Asaka-kun!” “Yeah! Go away, Quirkless Jewel!”

“Kids! That’s enough!” the teacher snapped. “Atsuta-kun, you may take your seat again.”

Juru nervously nodded his head, instinctively dodging a paper wad thrown at his head. As Mr. Ulshade began to speak about high school entrance exams, he pulled his sketchbook out of his desk and began to draw.

Heroes... he’d admired them ever since he was born. Especially one in particular, Orikami III, the number one hero! She was everything every hero aspired to be: strong, selfless, courageous, and awesome!

“Juru... Juru! Pay attention!” He looked up, to find the classroom empty. Mr. Ulshade chuckled to himself. “Got carried away again, huh?”

“S-sorry, sir...” Juru hung his head as he began to pack up. The teacher shook his head, handing him another sketchbook. “Huh?”

“You might want it.”

“Wh-why?”

“Just a hunch, m’boy.” With a sigh, Dr. Ulshade dropped his smile. “I’m sorry I can’t do much else about these delinquents during class. The school won’t let me even intervene with… him.”

“… I see.” Confused, Juru accepted the gift, and left the classroom... only to bump into none other than Keichiiro. The latter growled, snatched the sketchbook from his hands, and... crushed it.

“Stop it. It’s despicable,” he growled. “You have no right to be free to decide your own path.”

With a piercing glare, he drove a fist into the shorter boy’s stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. “If you really want to choose your path, pray that you’re given a Quirk in the next life.”

“Give... give it back.” Juru reached out to grab it back, but Keichiiro only threw it in his face. He then roared, sending Juru flying backwards into the wall. “... grk...”

“Shut up! Don’t you dare talk back to me! Stay down where you belong, Atsuta Jewel!” the taller boy boomed, storming out the door. Juru grunted, picking himself up, only to find the sketchbook in ruin.

“N-no... please, no...” he whispered to no one but himself. “Please no.... Oh, thank goodness...!”

The sketchbook was blank. It was the spare Mr. Ulshade gave him. As he got up, his mind wandered to a memory he had tried his best to forget...

**—Kiramai Calling! —**

_“Just give it up.” The doctor stated in a monotone voice, swiping a hand back through his slick hair. “You’re not going to be a hero, as you have no Quirk.”_

_Juru felt tears in his eyes. That couldn’t be... he was going to be a hero! Shakily, he cast a look at his mom, fear in his eyes._

_“Mom... why can’t I be a hero?”_

_His mom couldn’t speak, tears of her own flowing down her face. She glared at the doctor, who seemed indifferent to it all. “... Doctor Bias, is it true?”_

_“I’m afraid so, Mrs. Morikawa. Juru has two joints. Your son’s Quirk genes are both recessive. No Quirk, end of story.”_

_Haruna Morikawa collapsed, flinging her arms around her son. “Juru...! Juru, I’m so sorry...!”_

_The tears didn’t stop until late into the night._

**—Kiramai Go! —**

Thank goodness for his mother. His father hadn’t stuck around at all, once he had heard the news. The last he’d heard, he dropped off the face of the earth. So when she remarried her high school sweetheart, Riki Hoono, Juru was happier. Riki didn’t force him to do things he didn’t want and loved him like his own son. And when his half-sister was born, he still treated Juru like a true part of the family.

Speaking of Riki, he was world known as the Turbo Hero, Formula. And he happened to be fending off a particularly large villain the same time Juru was passing by the commercial district on his way home.

“ **GO AWAY!!** ” the villain, identified as Daidarabotchi, screamed as Formula and a few other heroes fended him off. Juru excitedly scribbled away in his sketchbook, eyes widening as he saw who was fighting.

“Gravity Man... Marine Lady... Is that Soldier? Yahoo, this is great!” A few passersby eyed him with confusion, but none of them minded. After all, heroes were on the scene. Suddenly, a loud voice called out to everyone. “Huh?”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, people! But it’s time to get showy as all hell!” A blur of red rammed itself into the large villain, striking the stomach area. He buckled on himself, the wind knocked out of him completely. The blur landed right next to it, revealing a man wearing a red long coat and a pirate’s hat. “How was that for the showstopper?!”

The crowd exploded into cheers. Riki and the other heroes, on the other hand, looked miffed. Juru made his way through the crowd, waving to his stepfather. “Hey! Riki!”

“Huh- oh, Juru! What’s going on, kiddo?” The hero laughed, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Get my good side?”

“You bet!” Juru excitedly exclaimed, opening his sketchbook to an image of Formula mid kick. “How is it?”

“Not bad, but you got the design of my gloves wrong again. Ah, well, not that it matters... not with this guy getting all the glory.”

“Who is he?”

“That’s Captain Marvelous,” Soldier cut in, sheathing his swords. “He and I were classmates. He told me he was debuting today, but I wasn’t expecting him to debut like this.”

“I’ll say...” Gravity Man huffed. “He caused property damage and didn’t stick around to help clean up.”

“That’s the sort of man he is,” Marine Lady sighed. “Even when he interned at my husband’s agency, he was always causing trouble...”

“Ah, sorry, kiddo, but it looks like I won’t be home tonight. Tell your mom sorry for me, will ya?” Riki asked, patting Juru’s head.

“Sure thing, Riki.”

“Hey, senpai, why doesn’t that kid call you dad?” Gravity Man asked as Juru ran down the street. “He’s your step-kid, right?”

“He told me plain and simple. He has one dad, even if he doesn’t remember him.”

“Wise kid,” Marine Lady chuckled. “He’s going places...”

Riki cast his eyes downwards. “... I wouldn’t say that...” he muttered to himself.

**—Mashin! —**

“Captain Marvelous... Captain Marvelous...” Juru muttered to himself, fingers flicking against the screen of his phone. “No good. He really is a new debut.”

He pocketed his phone, sighing. “Ah, well... no use in trying to search him this early. Still, that Quirk... I wonder what it is...? Where am I?”

He was in the middle of a street he had never seen before. He must have been too engrossed in his search he forgot to go the right way. Before he could turn around...

“Don’t move kid. I’ll make this as painless as possible,” a sinister voice drawled as a manhole cover began to move in front of him. A moment later, Juru found himself face to face with a villain.

“Thanks for the body, ki- Huh?”

Before the villain could fully emerge, he was knocked skywards by a sudden force. A moment later, someone else climbed out of the manhole. “Good grief... going after a kid? Villains have no moral code, I swear.”

Juru gasped. This couldn’t be happening. Standing before him now was... was...

“ORIKAMI?!??!”

The heroine flashed a smirk his direction. She crouched down, then blasted into the sky, grabbing the villain by the arms, and slammed him into the ground. When the dust settled, the villain had turned into... a puddle?

“Hmph. Virusen, I presume,” Orikami sighed, pulling a canister from her belt. “You’re a real pain to deal with. No matter. Once you’re over to the police, you’re as good as arrested.”

“NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY!!” Juru screamed. “ORIKAMI IN THE FLESH!! Ohmigod... uh, thank you for saving me!”

“No problem. Just doing my duty,” she smiled back. “I assume you’d want an autograph?”

“A-a-a-a-of c-course! It’s an absolute honor!!” Juru exclaimed, handing her his sketchbook. _No way... I’m getting an autograph from Orikami!!!_

“And... done. Have a good day, young man.” Orikami turned to leave, crouched down again, and flew into the air. “Almost at my limit... shoot.”

As she soared through the air, she felt something against her leg. She looked down to find the same boy she saved earlier clinging to her leg for dear life. “WHAT IN THE NAME OF MOUNT FUJI-”

“I... have... some... thing... to... ask... you...!” Juru managed to say against the wind. Orikami sighed and landed atop one of the buildings in the commercial district. “Oh man, that was...”

“Either you’re reckless or not good at thinking forwards, and either or is a bad combination...” she muttered. “So? What is it?”

“C-can someone become a hero... even if they’re Quirkless?”

Orikami seemed to stop in her tracks. “Wh-what-“

“I...” Juru looked at his feet, not noticing steam starting to pour off of her body. “I’m Quirkless, so a lot of people at school make fun of me... but even so I think that saving people is the coolest thing ever!”

He raised his head, Hope shining in his eyes. “Can someone like me... ever hope to become a herooooooooOOOOOOOOLY CRAP! Y-your arm!!”

Orikami’s left arm had fallen off. “Shoot-”

“AAAAAAAAAHHH!! Oh no, it’s all my fault, isn’t it? Because I got in the way-”

“No, it’s the real deal,” Orikami stated, as if her arm falling off was a matter of fact deal. “I’m afraid it’s true. This arm,” she went on, picking it up, “is a prosthetic, made to hide the fact that I lost my real arm in a battle five years ago.”

“Five years... wasn’t that against Dagon? The guy with the fish face and the spear?”

Orikami laughed. “Quite the student, aren’t you? No, that guy could never have gotten away with this.” She pulled down her sleeve to reveal that her full arm was gone, a lump of pinkish flesh where the shoulder should have been. “I’m not in the best shape, but I can still move the rest of my body. And I need to fight. The problem isn’t my body.”

She held up the prosthetic. “It’s that this thing has a limit to how much damage it can deal out. Now it’s in cool down mode. At most, I can manage a full ten hours of hero work. But if I keep pushing it, it may break. And my hero time will be reduced.”

“N-no way...” Juru whispered. “That’s...”

“Pathetic, isn’t it.” He looked up. “The symbol of peace having a secret as incriminating as this... is still struggling to keep up her appearance as the heroine who never falters. It’s necessary to not cause mass panic among the public.

“A Pro Hero has to lay their lives on the line to ensure the safety of others.” She looked him dead in the eyes. “I can’t tell you to become a hero with a smile on my face. The pressure I have to deal with every day...”

Juru felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Orikami kept talking. “But if you are hellbent on helping others, you can at least become a member of the police force.” “

He dropped his sketchbook. The heroine picked it up, to see an image of her pounding the ground so hard, the scenery around her changed from sunny to stormy in an instant. She shook her head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to drop this villain off at-”

She gasped the air. Nothing was in her hands. She and Juru locked eyes. “Oh, shi-”

**—Kiramai Go! —**

“Run... run... I need a body!!” Virusen roared, his slimy form wreathing down the street, one of his gelatinous arms wrapped around somebody. “Let me have this body!!”

As Juru and Orikami arrived on the scene (the latter hastily slapping her arm back on), they gasped in horror at the sight of the entire block ablaze, with some of the other heroes doing their best to help curb the fire. Juru squinted.

“That hostage... that’s my classmate!”

“Shoot... I haven’t finished cooling down yet-”

Formula sped by. “Can you lift him?”

“His size is too big!” Gravity Man replied, lobbing a chunk of concrete in Virusen’s way. “I can’t lift him when he’s past my mass limit!”

“For now, we need to focus on stopping the fires,” Marine Lady commanded. “We have no choice but to wait for another hero who’s stronger... where did Captain Marvelous go?!”

“Who knows-” Formula began to say, but was cut off as something, no, someone ran past him. “What the- JURU?!”

_What... what am I doing?_ Juru thought to himself as he ran forwards. _This is all my fault. Orikami can’t act because I ate up too much of her time… but I can’t stand by and just watch as this guy is killed!_

He ripped off his backpack and lobbed it at the villain. _Please… please…!_

As he got closer under the cover of the projectile, he began to pull at the slimy mass, ripping it off the captive-

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, ATSUTA JEWEL?!” the booming voice of Keichiiro Asaka crashed through his eardrums. “GET AWAY BEFORE YOU DIE!”

“I don’t know what I’m doing myself, Kei-san...” Juru cried, clawing desperately, “but I couldn’t leave you alone after seeing your eyes pleading for help-”

“Nice guts, kid. Too bad you’ll be losing those soon,” Virusen cackled. As the slime began to warp around the boy, someone jumped out from the crowd.

_Kid, you are either reckless or not good at forward thinking. But compared to your actions…_ Orikami readied her fist, her body glowing bright red. “I’m pathetic.”

“Wh-what?!” the villain exclaimed in fear. “Orikami?!”

“A hero puts their life on the line for the sake of others!” she declared. “And yet, I wasn’t acting on that like the symbol of peace should do so!”

Her fist seemed to ignite with flames as she raised it towards the sky, before slamming it down against the ground. “Take this... **Hundredfold Wildfire!!** ”

A pillar of flame erupted from the point of impact, sending the slime skyrocketing again. As if on cue, the air around the commercial district began to darken, dark clouds forming above. Then rain began to fall from the sky.

“Rain?” one of the onlookers asked, puzzled.

“No way, she punched the air so strong, she changed the weather?!”

“She must’ve blasted him all the way into the stratosphere!”

“As expected of Orikami!!”

As the crowd began to cheer, a bunch of paramedics and other heroes began to arrive. Riki hurried through the crowd, muttering under his breath. The other heroes began to collect the bits and pieces of the villain as he rained down onto the street.

Juru sat up, dazed. “Wha…?”

Riki bopped him on the head. “Juru, what in the name of justice were you thinking?! Rushing in like that, nearly losing your life, all for someone who you don’t get along with?! What will your mother say when she finds out-”

Keichiiro, meanwhile, was being praised by the paramedics. “You’re barely hurt! That’s a relief…”

The boy swallowed their words without processing them. He glanced at Juru, in the middle of being lectured, and scowled. Juru looked around. Orikami was gone.

**—Ki! Ra! Mai! —**

“I’m going to ground you, young man,” Riki was saying as he and Juru walked down the street. “I’m glad you’re safe, but still…”

“ATSUTA!!”

Juru turned to see Keichiiro seething at him from across the street. “I didn’t ask to be saved by the likes of you, you weakling! You didn’t save me! I won’t let someone Quirkless have the privilege of looking down on me! If you think I owe you a favor, you’re dead wrong!”

Before either Juru or Riki could respond, the boy stormed down the street back to his house. The older man shook his head. “He’s got his priorities backwards…”

“Well, he’s right, in a way.”

“Juru?”

The boy smiled sadly. “As much as I hate to admit, I didn’t do anything helpful for the situation. But knowing that I did something is enough.”

“… Juru, you’re still grounded.”

“If I may…” Juru jumped. Standing before them was Orikami. What could she want?


	2. Red Spirit

_I’m Juru Atsuta. A normal boy in a very abnormal society. In a world where 80 percent of the population at large has been blessed with abilities that set them apart from the rest, I was gifted no such ability. However, my life is about to turn on its head as my idol and the number one hero, Orikami III appears before my eyes._

**—Kiramai Go! —**

“Kaoru Shiba.”

“Honoo-sensei.”

Juru looked between the two heroes, bewildered. “Riki, you know Orikami?”

Riki cast a stern glance of his own at his stepson. “Of course, I know her. She interned at my agency years ago.”

“EEEEEH?!”

“Pardon the sudden reappearance, sensei,” Kaoru bowed her head. “But I have something to say to your son.”

She looked at Juru, her eyes serious. “Young man, you have my gratitude. If it weren’t for you, I would most likely have stayed put on the spot. After hearing your story as well… you’ve convinced me. I was pathetically watching as you heroically leapt into action! I ignored everything a hero should be!”

“Kaoru, you met with Juru earlier? When, and why?”

“He… interrupted my work.” Riki sighed, placing a hand to his head. Leave it to Juru to get caught up in things like this…

“But… this is all my fault,” Juru protested. “I got in the way, and-”

“And because you got in the way, you made a difference.” Kaoru smiled. “You got me to act!”

Riki seemed to suddenly understand what was going on. “Kaoru, you don’t mean-”

“Often, heroes will say these lines while they are still students: ‘I couldn’t help it. My body was acting on its own!’ You have the drive to be what you long to…”

Juru raised his eyes. Riki and Kaoru were both smiling. “You can become a hero.”

**—Kiramai Calling! —**

“Wait, Riki, you knew about this, too?!” Riki laughed nervously.

“Well, I did say I was Kaoru’s mentor for a while.” He nervously popped some rice into his mouth, ignoring the look Haruna was giving him. “And it’s really long story, too, so…”

“Riki.”

“Alright, alright…” the hero put aside his bowl. “Kaoru is one of the inheritors of a special Quirk that can be inherited. It’s about as old as the history of quirks itself.

“There have been eight inheritors of this Quirk so far. Kaoru is the eighth. Six have died on the field of combat. One voluntarily gave up the power.”

“In… inherited?” Juru asked. “But… that can’t be possible. Quirks are supposed to be genetically passed down between parents and children!”

“While that’s true, this one is special. It’s specifically the power to transfer power, known only to a select few as… the _Red Spirit_.”

“ _Red… Spirit_?”

“Six of the holders died on the field of battle and passed their powers down to their successors. Two survived, one of them reaching old age.”

“But… what is it?”

“A power that is cultivated, granted to the next holder, building in power and spec every time it does so! It only responds to hearts willing to save lives with unwavering spirit!”

Juru stared down at his bowl, uncertainty about his face. “But… why is Shiba-san giving such a power to me?”

“In actuality, we’ve been searching for the next successor in the case of the evil who stole Kaoru’s arm resurfaces.” Riki reached over to ruffle his stepson’s hair. “And who better to do so than someone who was able to shine ever brighter than any of the heroes at the scene today?”

“I’m still upset you rushed in, Juru,” Haruna finally spoke up, frowning. She turned her gaze on Riki. “And you, for not stopping him.”

“Mom, you’re not fazed at all?”

“Why would I be? I was with Riki on the front lines way back when.”

Juru gaped at his parents. “... I had no idea...”

“So? Will you accept?”

In his heart, Juru felt that he would always be weak, that he was fated to be a weakling like Keichiiro always called him. But something else suddenly burned within his heart. A strong emotion. One he had never felt before.

Confidence.

**—Kiramai Charge! —**

Of course, no one had said that the journey would be easy. The very next day, Riki had woken him up way too early and took him for a run. A 15-kilometer run. All the way to Subarugahama Beach, a location that he had never heard of, and for probably good reason. It was littered with garbage. Kaoru had shown up soon after, and suddenly Juru found himself trying to haul a heavy refrigerator across the beach.

“C’mon, this isn’t budging an inch! I’m getting bored of this view here!” Riki called out as his stepson struggled against the weight of the machine.

“Sensei, you’re not helping...” Kaoru muttered. Juru collapsed against the sand, heaving for breath.

“Can someone explain why I’m pulling at this refrigerator?” he gasped. Riki hopped down from his seat, a hand to his chin.

“Well, it’s because you’re as skinny as a scarecrow!”

“Huh?!”

“What he means is,” Kaoru knelt down to talk him face to face, “if you were to take in this power now, the force of containing its power would probably be too much for your body to handle. It would feel like being pulled apart in maybe countless directions.”

Juru shivered. “Eww... but wait, to build up my body strength, I’m... sorting trash?”

“Well, that’s part of it,” his stepfather grinned. “See, this entire beach is full of junk that has been sitting here for who knows how long. All the trash that people have been throwing into the ocean finally collected here, of all places.”

“So we’re ignoring the illegal dumping part of this situation... so I can train?”

Kaoru stood up, flexing her good arm. “Nowadays, we’ve observed the sort of heroes a lot of the generation has become. In those ten years since I first received this power, a lot of these heroes rely on being flashy more than on being reliable.”

She jumped into the air, bringing her fist down upon the refrigerator, flattening it in an instant. The mountain of garbage behind them suddenly parted, giving Juru the sight of the sun rising from the horizon. His eyes widened.

It was beautiful. Like a sparkling gemstone polished to gleam at even the faintest ray of light.

“This is your first step towards becoming a hero,” the symbol of peace declared. “Never mind that we’re having you clean up the beach, every hero starts from humble beginnings!”

“Can I even do it?”

“That’s up to you... and the entrance exam, kiddo.” Riki whipped out his phone. “You still have to get past the entrance exam to get into Victory Academy. In that case...”

“We’ll be helping you the entire way.” Kaoru nodded. “I’ll be training you physically. Sensei will oversee to all your academics.”

“I’ll admit, son, none of this will be easy.” Riki reached down to ruffle his hair. “But are you willing to go to hell and back? Can you push yourself to your limits? Can you foster enough natural power to accept this power in ten months?”

Juru looked to the sky, eyes burning bright with determination. “YOU BET YOUR SWEET BIPPY I WILL! I’LL SHINE BRIGHTER THAN ANY SUNRISE IN THE WORLD!!”

**—Ki! Ra! Mai! —**

A week later, Juru found himself in the midst of a class lecture. He wasn’t paying attention, for once. Not that he wouldn’t get in trouble for it, since Mr. Udou wasn’t the type to get angry.

In that moment, he was scribbling away in his sketchbook. He’d gone past the point of just drawing, to the point of taking such detailed notes, probably only he could decipher them, parsing out what he could do each day to become stronger. Eating the right foods, managing the correct amount of strain so that he would develop faster than anyone else.

As well as, a habit of mumbling to himself. He was in the midst of a muttering storm when the teacher called out to him to explain the solution.

He caught Keichiiro scoffing to himself. Same old, same old.

**—Kiramage! —**

It was the start of autumn when something changed. Juru had gotten through most of the garbage on the beach, and, in addition to the workload, the workout itself was finally starting to take its toll.

Juru collapsed in the middle of the path.

Kaoru observed his condition after getting him back on his feet. Overwork and burnout...

“Juru-kun, have you been following my workout menu like I asked? Or have you been skipping it?”

She paused as he sank to his knees again. “... overworking yourself will only yield negative results. Are you trying to pass or not?”

He didn’t respond at first, instead collapsing on his face. But then his gathered his hand into a fist, struggling to speak up. “... I want to pass... I want this... more than anything in the world! But... it’s not enough! Everyone else has had a huge jumpstart compared to me... and only I can fill the gap! I don’t care if I fall! I’ll just get back up!”

He raised his face, causing her to flinch. “I WANT TO BE A HERO LIKE YOU!! THE STRONGEST HERO! I WANT TO BE STRONG!”

Kaoru blinked. _He’s been focusing on getting stronger this entire time... all for the sake of bridging the gap._

“Well, you’re certainly reckless.” She helped him up. “But it’s not bad. Almost admirable, in fact.”

Juru weakly smiled, clenching his fist in victory. “That being said, being impatient is the right path if you’re looking to meet Death before you take the exam. I’ll alter the menu for you. Just relax a bit, will you?”

**—Kiramai Charge! —**

On the exact day of the entrance exam, at six o’clock in the morning, Kaoru pulled up to the beach, shivering from the cold. As she yawned the sleep away, Riki came rushing up to her, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“Kaoru!”

“S-Sensei! What is it?”

“I don’t believe it! Look... look!”

She turned her gaze to the beach, her jaw dropping at the sight. Juru was standing atop a mountain of the collected garbage, screaming his lungs out. His jacket was gone, leaving his upper body bare for all to see.

“He hauled more of the garbage than we asked him to! All of it, in fact!” Riki’s smile was infectious. “A last-minute finish, too!”

“He’s ready,” Kaoru smiled. “Juru-kun!”

Juru turned to them, the exhaustion on his face apparent, but the faint outline of satisfaction was in his eyes. Tears flowed from his eyes as he wobbled over to the two heroes. Riki was beaming.

“Nice look. It suits you.” He pulled out his phone. “Compared to the you from ten months ago.”

Juru looked at the image of himself almost a year before. He was so scrawny back then...

“And look at you now! You’ve grown up!” Riki laughed. “Now, Kaoru.”

“Mm.”

“I feel so blessed to have had both of your help along this path...” he sobbed. “You both went this far for me...”

“No. It was your hard work and determination that did so,” Kaoru interrupted. “You have earned this power for yourself. Be proud.”

Then she plucked a hair from her head. “Now eat this.”

“... huh...?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I don't really have any notes for this chapter. The plot will stay close to the story of My Hero for a few of the opening chapters, so I hope I did it some justice at least.


	3. Entrance Exam

_Victory Academy. It’s said to be the very academy that everyone who wants to be a hero strives to attend. It’s the most difficult, yet also the most popular hero academy in Japan, no, in the world. If you want to be recognized as a great hero, it’s essential to be enrolled at VA._

_I, Juru Atsuta, am about to take my first step into the life of a hero._

**—Kiramai Go! —**

“Ahh... I made it in time...”

“MOVE ASIDE, JEWEL ATSUTA, YOU WEAKLING!!”

Keichiiro? Oh, right. He applied for VA, too. Juru nervously stepped aside to let the boisterous boy pass him. Surprisingly, Keichiiro hadn’t tried to provoke or attack him in the last ten months, ever since the incident, as many of his classmates had been calling it.

No matter. It was time. Here he was, making his first step towards becoming a hero. To growing up. To-

Falling flat on his face. Or he would have, if he hadn’t suddenly stopped in midair. A hand was resting on his shoulder. He turned his head to see a girl with a ponytail holding him by the shoulder.

With only her hand.

“Huh...? Whoa?!”

“Whew, that was close, wasn’t it?” she giggled. She set him down gently but stood in front of him as she did so. “This may be a little rough, so brace yourself, okay?”

“B-brace?”

She clapped her hands, and suddenly Juru felt himself get pushed forwards. “Wha-”

He bumped into her, though thankfully not in any way that one would see as inappropriate. “Whoa...”

“Yep! I get that it’s a little rough sometimes, huh? But at least you didn’t fall!” she laughed again. Juru couldn’t help but stare a bit. Everyone had laughed at him back at the middle school. She wasn’t laughing at him... “I’m so nervous... I can tell you’re too!”

Before he could formulate a reply, she ran down the pathway towards the entrance. “Let’s do our best!”

Juru stood where he was for a solid half-minute before he remembered what he was supposed to do.

The entrance hall was packed. Juru suddenly felt a bit of his confidence sink into his stomach. As the students chattered amongst themselves, he couldn’t help but notice-

“Shut up, Atsuta Jewel.”

A puff of smoke suddenly exploded at the stage. As the smoke cleared, someone appeared standing... in a cowboy outfit?

“ _Hello, everybody! Welcome to Victory Academy!..._ ” his English was pitch perfect! No inflections, no accent, nothing! “Well... it’s not quite welcome yet, either. You still have to pass the entrance exam. We’ll be passing out the written test now. Good luck!”

_That was the American Ninja Hero, Jiraiya. Is he teaching here?_

As he was passed the test, Juru blinked. The test... these questions... were so... easy! _Thank goodness for Riki being an active hero…_

Juru filled out his form in half an hour before raising his hand. “U-um... sir...?”

“ _Yes?_ ”

“Wh-who do we... give th-the test to... um... when we-we’re done?”

Jiraiya raised a suspicious eyebrow. “You’re done already?”

“Y-yessir!”

“Then give it here! And go to the waiting room for the practical.”

“Yessir!”

As Juru ran out the door, everyone exchanged glances. Did he really fill out all the questions?

Keichiiro shook his head. Rushing just proved how weak he was.

**—Kiramai Charge! —**

Juru froze as Jiraiya appeared before the group. Here came the real challenge... the practical exam.

“Countdown to the exam in sixty seconds, fifty-nine, fifty-eight...”

“Hey, kid.” A voice called out to him. He turned to find a boy much taller than him, with a funny looking hoodie, shorts and long johns. “Did you really fill out the written fully?”

“U-um... yes...?”

“You better not be making fun of any of us.” Wha- what was that supposed to mean? The boy shook his head. “Well, they haven’t stopped you yet. Whatever...”

What was that about?

Juru pondered it for a bit, thinking to when he ingested... the hair...

**—Kiramai Calling! —**

_“Well, now what?”_

_“It takes about three hours at most to fully embrace the power,” Kaoru admitted. “That’s enough time to get through the written exam... not that you’ll have any trouble with it.”_

_“You may be able to embrace_ Red Spirit _now, but just barely,” Riki added. “For now, just get ready. You’ve got a long day ahead of you.”_

**—Kiramai Go! —**

“Go!... uh, there’s a countdown? What do you think go means?”

At that, a bunch, scratch that, all the students but Juru charged. He blinked, before running after them. “Wait, what was the exam-”

A robot crashed in front of him. Oh. That’s what it was.

Each and every robot had a number on it. Juru suspected that was the point total for the robot-

“Hyah!” a high-pitched voice cried. He barely dodged out of the way when a girl came spinning at the robot. She crashed into it, wobbling on the spot as it broke. “Urgh... one...”

“Oh, shoot-”

The boy from earlier was throwing rocks at the robots... The impact actually knocked the robots over?! “Thirty-one!”

The girl from this morning tapped the robot next to her, sending it into the ground with a CRUNCH. “S-Sixteen....”

“I’m so behind...”

He could only watch. Did he even have the power? Was this the best he could do?

Keichiiro ran past him. It looked like he was chasing the robots... “ **FORTY-SEVEN!!!** ”

A weaker looking robot approached Juru. Hesitantly, he jumped at it, almost crying out in shock as its head popped off to reveal a large button on it. He slammed the button down, causing the robot to collapse. To his right, there were a bunch of robots all in a row, no one to claim them...

He put the head on the ground and stomped on the top of it. To his surprise, it crumpled easily, as if it were made of a weaker metal... wait... he could make that jump... and the next... and the next... and the-

By the time he looked up, all the robots were scrapped.

“ _RELEASE THE ZERO POINTER!!_ ” Jiraiya’s voice rang out across the field. Juru looked up to see a massive robot plummeting down from... somewhere, crushing the buildings and the streets its feet took up.

“Oh... holy... moly...”

As soon as he spoke, the top popped open to reveal a full-on arsenal of firepower. “Doy...”

A bunch of students had already turned to run away. Juru was about to follow when he spotted the girl from earlier trapped beneath some rubble. She was struggling...

“ _Look at that boy... barely made any headway in the practical..._ ”

“ _Indeed. And here he stands against something that poses a threat yet will reward him with no merit._ ”

Juru took a deep breath. Something was burning in his heart. A want, a need... to protect! To protect this very girl who showed him some encouragement and support!

Suddenly he was airborne. He couldn’t feel his legs, but that didn’t matter. His arm felt like it was on fire... just like Kaoru-san!

The flames had reached their boiling point. It was peak condition. He reared back, letting the flames flow free...

“ **Hundredfold Wildfire!** ”

Juru opened his eyes. Somehow, he was on the other side of the robot.

“ _And that kind of attitude is what we need here at our academy. A heart unwavering with the zeal of justice and peace, the need to save others!_ ”

Juru Atsuta, total points- 0/50.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's kinda short.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Keichiiro is Bakugo. I felt like he would fit the roll the most because of his initial black-and-white viewpoint of justice. Unlike Bakugo, however, this version of Keichiiro isn't going to be as one note. I hope to try to convey a point of character development in him as the story progresses.
> 
> 2\. Orikami was a dumb joke between me and a friend. Originally, Kaoru's hero name was just going to be origami, which roughly translates to "folded paper," switching -gami for -kami. 'Kami' can also mean god, so then her hero name became "folded god." It's dumb, but I honestly can't think of any other name to give her. I've also written at least forty chapters by the time this is posted, so the name's stuck.
> 
> 3\. This fic will include mostly late Heisei era and early Reiwa era characters as the focus, with older Sentai heroes showing up as other characters, villains included.


End file.
